6-member polio team snatched in Tank

TANK - A six-member polio vaccination team including a doctor working for the World Health Organisation (WHO) and three personnel of Levies Force were kidnapped at gunpoint by armed men in Frontier Region (FR) Tank on Monday.The polio vaccination team was on its way to Jumaat Korono rural area in Peeg village bordering South Waziristan when unidentified masked group held it hostage at gunpoint and later kidnapped the team members. They also took away with them vehicle of the polio team.A senior official confirming the incident said those who had been kidnapped were identified as Dr Khan Dad, incharg polio circle and also working for the World Health Organisation, a supervisor Farid Khan, a driver Talimullah and three personnel of Levis Force - Amanullah, Dolat Khan and Minhas.Soon after the incident, political administration officials rushed to the site, cordoned off the area and started a search operation, however no arrest was made till filing of this report.No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. The incident comes a day after a policeman deployed for vaccination campaign was killed in a bomb attack in Peshawar.FR Tank lies on the outer boundaries of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district. Pakistan is one of three countries of the world where the crippling polio virus remains endemic. According to WHO, 91 cases of polio were recorded in Pakistan last year, up from 58 in 2012.